“America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again, but baseball has marked the time. This field, this game. Its a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and could be again” – Terrence Mann (Played by James Earl Jones), Field of Dreams, 1989
American History has a lot of key events to shape the country and world we know today. The game of baseball has played a key role in that, whether it directly effected things or was directly effected by events, its stories and places matter.
Civil War Soldiers would play pickup games in camp, the Civil Rights movement was advanced forward helped greatly by baseball events. Wars and conflicts shook the world, and baseball had to adapt, giving chances to some who never would have otherwise had one to play the game at a high level. More recently Analytical approaches to baseball have shaped the sports world as a whole, and that has allowed for more opportunities for different skill sets that were previously overlooked.
Without baseball, the world would not be the same. It is an escape from hard times, a place to have good times, and a source of progress and advancement for so many. Preserving its history is preserving all history. There are many ways to do that, and many ways to keep the legacy of the game alive.